ENCHANTING TRICK
National Dance Museum of Iran
The ancient heritage of Iranian dance tradition from 5000 BC to the contemporary era displayed in a seven floor museum and centre for dance research and library.
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The Birth of a Unique Institution
In a country where the art of dance traces its lineage back several millennia, the establishment of the National Dance Museum of Iran stands as a natural and urgent initiative. Iran, with its ancient civilization and rich cultural history, has always nurtured a deep and profound relationship with dance. From sacred rituals in the era of Mithraism to the highly stylized court dances of the Persian empires, movement and rhythm have been essential expressions of the Iranian spirit.
Despite dance’s powerful and visible role throughout history, the Islamic Revolution of 1979 severely marginalized and repressed this art form. The memory and practice of dance were driven underground or forced into exile. In the Iran of tomorrow, it will be vital to restore this lost legacy, not only to honor the memory of generations of dancers and artists but to educate future generations about a crucial part of their cultural identity. The National Dance Museum of Iran will be the first of its kind in the Eastern world — a vibrant testament to a heritage too rich to be forgotten.
The Ancient Roots of Persian Dance
As demonstrated in Nima Kiann’s groundbreaking article, Persian Dance and Its Forgotten History, archaeological discoveries across Iran consistently reveal the centrality of dance in ancient Iranian life. Throughout thousands of years, Iranian artisans immortalized dance through countless artifacts: ancient vases, painted tiles, stone carvings, and bas-reliefs depict scenes of sacred dance rituals, festive gatherings, and mythological ceremonies.
Sites dating back to the Elamite civilization, Persepolis, and later Sassanian and Parthian eras offer invaluable insights into the formal and ceremonial roles that dance once played. These ancient works not only confirm Iran’s historic contributions to the world of dance but also emphasize the necessity of a specialized institution to gather, protect, and display this remarkable heritage.
Dance tells our story. Museum preserves the spirit.Nima Kiann
Modern archaeology continues to uncover new evidence — new sites, motifs, and symbolic artifacts — that reflect the enduring spirit of dance in Iran across the centuries. The future museum will thus not be merely a historical display; it will serve as a dynamic research hub, continuously updated with new academic findings.
Dance Museums Worldwide: Inspirations and Models
Around the world, a few dedicated dance museums serve as guardians of the art form. Notable examples include:
- The National Museum of Dance and Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, New York — a pioneer in preserving American dance history through exhibitions, archives, and educational programs.
- The Dansmuseet (Dance Museum) in Stockholm — a rich museum featuring costumes, manuscripts, photographs, and scenographic sketches, as well as a renowned archive on Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes.
- The Centre National de la Danse (CND) in Paris — although not exactly a museum, the CND combines archive preservation with cutting-edge contemporary dance promotion, research, and training.
These institutions highlight how a museum can be far more than a static display of artifacts: they act as cultural hubs, offering classes, hosting exhibitions, preserving rare archives, and bringing public attention to the living evolution of dance.
Iran’s future museum will draw inspiration from these successful models while offering something unprecedented: a focus on one of the oldest and most sophisticated dance traditions in human history.
Mission and Vision of the National Dance Museum of Iran
The museum will be both a shrine to the past and a beacon for the future. Its principal missions will include:
- Preservation: Safeguarding historical costumes, jewelry, instruments, literature, ancient artifacts, choreography manuscripts, stage designs, and video archives from the pre-revolutionary and underground dance movements.
- Research and Education: Hosting a research center specializing in the study of Persian dance, offering educational programs, seminars, and collaborations with universities and institutes around the world.
- Exhibitions: Permanent exhibitions will focus on ancient dance traditions, court dances of the Achaemenid and Sassanid periods, the emergence of institutional dance in the 20th century, and contemporary reinterpretations.
Memory of a Lost Tradition: Special sections will be devoted to the destruction of dance under the Islamic Republic, honoring those who preserved the tradition at great personal risk.
A Living Institution for a Reborn Culture
The National Dance Museum of Iran will not be a frozen monument to a lost golden age. It will instead act as a living, breathing testament to a culture whose flame, though dimmed, never truly extinguished.
Dance, once again, will find its rightful place in the cultural fabric of Iran — not as entertainment alone, but as an essential symbol of freedom, creativity, and the human spirit.
In the Iran of tomorrow, the National Dance Museum will serve as a gathering place for scholars, dancers, artists, and the general public, to reconnect with an art form that speaks deeply to the soul of the nation.